Check-in and airport processing times

To help you prepare for your upcoming flight, we’d like to provide you with guidance for arriving at the airport ahead of your departure. Our goal is to help you have a stress-free experience, and we want to ensure that you arrive at the departure gate with plenty of time to board your flight, get settled and think of the possibilities of your next adventure.

At the airport, you can also check your bags by using one of our ticket counter kiosks, visiting a United representative at the check-in counter or locating curbside skycap (where available).

For travel outside the United States, you can scan your passport by using the United app or visiting an airport kiosk. If you previously scanned your passport for international travel with United, you will be eligible to check in on united.com. If your destination country requires a visa, a United representative at the airport will be required to verify your visa information.

Payment transactions at airports

The United check-in counters and kiosks at some of the airports we serve do not accept cash as a form of payment. For more information, visit the Accepted Forms of Payment page.

Minimum required times for check-in and checking baggage

For most flights, travelers will need to abide by the following guidelines:

For most United- and United Express-operated flights within the U.S., travelers must check in at least 30 minutes before departure, regardless of whether or not they are checking baggage. See exceptions

For most United- and United Express-operated international flights, travelers must check in at least 60 minutes before departure, regardless of whether or not they are checking baggage. See exceptions

For flights to or from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, travelers must check in at least 90 minutes before departure, regardless of whether or not they are checking baggage.

Before you travel, we recommend checking the Important Notices page to see if there are any updates or advisories affecting your departure or arrival airport, so you can plan for extra time if needed.

U.S. airports with special minimum required times

Please review the special minimum required times below so you can plan for your flight accordingly and make sure you check in within the required number of minutes before departure time.

U.S. airports with special minimum required times

Airport

Minimum check-in times for nonstop international flights with or without checked baggage

(minutes before departure time)

Minimum check-in times for flights within the U.S. with checked baggage

(minutes before departure time)

Minimum check-in times for flights within the U.S. with carry-on baggage only

(minutes before departure time)

Anchorage (ANC)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Aspen (ASE)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Atlanta (ATL)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Austin (AUS)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Baltimore (BWI)

60 minutes

45 minutes

45 minutes

Charlotte (CLT)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Chicago (ORD)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Cincinnati (CVG)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Cleveland (CLE)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Dallas (DFW)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Denver (DEN)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Detroit (DTW)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Fairbanks (FAI)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Ft. Lauderdale (FLL)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Greenville (GSP)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Honolulu (HNL)

75 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Houston (IAH)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Indianapolis (IND)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Jacksonville (JAX)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Kona (KOA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Las Vegas (LAS)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Los Angeles (LAX)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Mammoth Lakes (MMH)

30 minutes

30 minutes

30 minutes

Maui (OGG)

60 minutes

45 minutes

45 minutes

Miami (MIA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

New York (LGA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Newark (EWR)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Orange County (SNA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Orlando (MCO)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Philadelphia (PHL)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Phoenix (PHX)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Pittsburgh (PIT)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Portland, Maine (PWM)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Raleigh (RDU)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Reno (RNO)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

San Diego (SAN)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

San Francisco (SFO)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Savannah (SAV)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Seattle (SEA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

St. Louis (STL)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Tampa (TPA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Washington (IAD)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Washington DC (DCA)

60 minutes

45 minutes

30 minutes

Other airports with special minimum required times

Please review the special minimum required times below for airports located outside the U.S. so you can plan accordingly and make sure you check in within the required number of minutes before your departure time. These times apply regardless of whether or not you are checking baggage.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Caracas (CCS): 90 minutes

Lima (LIM): 75 minutes

San Juan (SJU): 60 minutes

St. Thomas (STT): 60 minutes

Europe

Dublin (DUB): 75 minutes

Asia and the Pacific

Guam (GUM): 60 minutes

Manila (MNL): 90 minutes

For flights within the U.S., as well as most international flights, baggage will generally not be accepted for check-in more than four hours before a scheduled flight departure, although this policy varies by airport and daily check-in counter hours. United has the right to cancel reservations, deny boarding and refuse the acceptance of checked baggage of any customer who does not meet the applicable check-in time limits, as noted above.

Security processing times

At airports in the U.S., travelers may experience longer lines at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for domestic travel and three hours before for international travel. If you’re traveling during peak times like early morning or evening, or during holidays and other events, please plan accordingly and allow for extra time. To help make the security screening process as smooth as possible, please remember that each traveler can bring one carry-on bag and one personal item on board. Visit the TSA’s View Security Wait Times page for up-to-date information about your departure airport.

Global Entry: For customers who travel both within the U.S. and internationally.

When do I need to be at the boarding gate?

For flights within the U.S., all customers must be on board the aircraft 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. We recommend being at the boarding gate at least 15 minutes before departure to ensure that you’re on the aircraft before the doors are closed.

For international flights, we encourage you to be at the gate no later than 30 minutes before your scheduled departure. If you are departing from the following airports, please be advised that you are required to be at the gate at a specific time before departure, as additional security or documentation checks may be required:

Brussels (BRU): 60 minutes

Caracas (CCS): 60 minutes

Dublin (DUB): 30 minutes

Koror (ROR): 30 minutes

Kosrae (KSA): 60 minutes

Kwajalein (KWA): 60 minutes

Lima (LIM): 30 minutes

Majuro (MAJ): 60 minutes

Pohnpei (PNI): 60 minutes

Truk (TKK): 60 minutes

Yap (YAP): 60 minutes

To learn more about boarding a United flight, please visit our Boarding Process page.